Cultural experiences by students from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

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El Salvador 2010

Today is the 32nd anniversary of the assassinatio of Monsignor Romero. The common lectionary comes in cycles so I understand the following connection as an amazing coincidence, yet I can’t help but take some prayerful time to consider the lectionary’s gospel passage for this Sunday, March 25, 2012, contains John 12:24, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” This, I have learned, is the final piece of Scripture Monsignor Romero preached on March 24, 1980, in the sermon he gave right before he was shot dead through the heart.

A year ago today, UTS students, staff, faculty, and friends were marching with thousands of people from around the world to remember Monsignor Romero and the Christ-like sacrificial love he offered to the suffering Salvadorans. On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated while giving mass and his life and work are still very much a part of the culture of El Salvador, as well as to those who celebrate liberation theology as vital Christianity and who stand in solidarity with those who suffer injustice.

On Tuesday, March 22, US President Obama and El Salvador President Funes went to the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador where Romero is buried. You can read about and see pictures of the visit here. In the meantime, take a moment to read this brief biography of Romero from USCatholics.org, brows the El Salvador 2010 trip archives, and know it is possible to be Christ-like in word and action.

Tuesday night’s event went really well and the pupusas were delicious. We sold over fifty tickets and most every item on the silent auction sold, bringing our total donation dollar amount to over $1000 for various El Salvador causes. Thanks to all who attended. Oh, and I snapped a photo of Professor Chris preaching!

The students and faculty who went to El Salvador this semester ask you to join us for dinner, a silent auction, and worship celebration on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 from 6:00pm-9:00pm at United Theological Seminary (3000 5th Street NW, New Brighton, MN 55112).

7:30pm-8:00pm Presentation sharing the experiences, strength, hope, and courage given to the students of the UTS Global Justice trip to El Salvador.

8:30pm Final Auction Bids take place.

Dinner tickets are $10 per person, $7.50 per student. To purchase tickets, contact any UTS student who was on the trip, pick them up in the UTS Cokesbury Bookstore, or call in your reservation to Adam Pfuhl at 651.255.6161. For more information, contact Diane Light at 920.229.1470.

The preliminary hearings in the case between the El Salvadorian government and Canadian mining company Pacific Rim begins today. Claiming protection under regulations of CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, Pacific Rim claims El Salvador is in violation of rules as it tries to limit what work it can do in the country. At stake? $77 million. International business precedent. Innocent lives. You can get much more information on this story than I’m able to provide at “Tim’s El Salvador Blog.”

Please keep the rights of the Salvadorian people in your thoughts and prayers as this international business case begins.

For all of the emotional moments we had on the trip, there were a lot of funny ones, too. Here’s a little bit of levity from my eyes. I encourage others on the trip to share some of their favorites, too, and hopefully those will appear in the comments. Here are ten funny moments I experienced on the trip to El Salvador, all off the top of my head and in no particular order:

“I need you to take your seat, ma’am.”

Professor Chris engendered some impatience more than once and from more than one flight attendant on the flight down as she tried to take a head count. Their collective air of pleasant sternness finally got her to sit down so we could take off. Don’t worry, Chris, we all made it to El Salvador safely! 🙂

“I have no ******* idea what you’re saying, man.”

While listening to President Funes speak, a man kept giving me a big smirk until I finally engaged him. He said something to me in seemingly complicated Spanish and I attempted to respond back, saying “Hola, como es ta?” He looked at me a long time and with a burst of liquor breath said, “Pfft. I have no ******* idea what you’re saying man.” Turns out he spoke English and from our short conversation I think he had lived in the US a whle. I know my Spanish, what exists of it anyway, is horrible, but it was a moment of surprise, nonetheless.

Jimmy McCarty wrote a post on the God’s Politics blog by Jim Wallis about his impressions of Romero. In this post, you’ll see an imbedded video from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart detailing how a board of education in Texas decided whether or not to include Romero in the textbook. As McCarty writes, skip to 2:29 if you want to miss adult humor and go straight to the subject at hand.

I cried when I watched this. It’s yet another way I’ve found it difficult to control my emotions in the last 48 hours since returning home. It’s the “disappeared” comment that really got me. But I must say, it’s for good reason, as that video aired the night before we left on our trip and this woman truly lives in her willful ignorance. It really makes me sad.

If you don’t want to read McCarty’s article, here’s the link to the video directly.